Lost At Sea
by writerwannabe-xo
Summary: Emma's departure and Bella's recent goodbye has made best friends Rikki Chadwick and Cleo Sertori closer than ever. And with Zane off the scene and Lewis studying in the states, the two 'friends find themselves comforting each other in ways neither of them had ever seen coming...Rated T- possible strong language and probable references to sex throughout


WARNING: -THIS STORY **WILL** CONTAIN SEXUAL REFERENCES, SWEARING AND POSSIBLE OTHER NEGATIVLEY INFLUENTIAL BEHAVIOR THROUGHOUT. IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO READ A STORY OF A MORE MATURE NATURE I SUGGEST THAT YOU LEAVE NOW. I AM WELL AWARE THE H2O IS A CHILDREN'S PROGRAM, HOWEVER I AM SIMPLY PLAYING WITH THE CHARACTERS AND ADAPTING THEM TO A MORE MORDERN AND REALISTIC WORLD, ALONG WITH ADDING JUST A _TAD_ OF DRAMA FOR MY OWN AND HOPEFULLY YOUR AMUSMENT, OF COURSE ;-)-

The moon, fortunately halved from its hazardous full state, illuminated the two figures that caressed in the golden coast's infamous moon pool. One girl was as fair as fresh milk, as blinding sunlight. Her lovers complexion was darker, a merging of tan and mud brown and coffee.

Rikki Chadwick and Cleo Sertori had been close friends for god knows how long, but no-one, let alone themselves, had ever expected their friendship to blossom into anything more. They were both straight for one thing. Homosexuality had never been an avid topic of discussion among the girl's friendship group, not that they were against it, in fact both girls had secretly always felt the mistreatment of homosexuals grossly unfair, however it was not exactly something to come up in conversation. For the most of the time, obstacles in the girls quest as mermaids were the foundation of most converses, and if not that, the perks of having been transformed into a mythical creature. Other topics included: Parties, the latest gossip, and of course boys, the latter being ironic in the girl's current situation.

But it had happened. It being what some would vouch was the inevitable. After the abandonment of Emma, a fellow mermaid and loyal friend, Cleo and Rikki only had each other remaining. Of course, along came Bella not long after Emma's departure, but as sunny and down to earth as she was, the girls couldn't strike up the same sort of bond with her, despite their new friend also obtaining mermaidly powers. Bella had not been there when the girls first got given their powers. She had not ridden the wave of confusion flung upon them once discovering them. She had not survived the wrath of the ruthless Charlotte nor pondered for hours over Cleo's complicated situation with her boyfriend, Lewis. She was partly one of them, but not truly. Nothing Bella could have done would've changed that fact.

Bella was gone now, too. Away at university in the city of Sydney, studying music. The girl's missed her, but not as much as they would miss each other if the tables had been turned. Them themselves were staying put at the coast, with Rikki enrolled on an economics course at the towns local university and Cleo working full time as one of the marine parks chief dolphin trainers. Rikki had never understood how she managed it, working in such close capacity to water, that is, but she had always admired her friend's determination to not let being half fish get in the way of her ambitions. She wished she could say the same for herself. She had blown off her father, who had become financially comfortable for the first time in his life after meeting his new partner, a very blonde and even more plastic cougar in the middle of the previous summer, on yet another offer to take her on vacation this summer, terrified of being exposed without the support of her friends. She refrained from telling them that though, of course.

Lewis had also departed from the coast. He was currently overseas in the states, after receiving a Science scholarship there a little over a year ago. It had always been a dream of his, to have the recourses to become a well-respected scientist, and Cleo was well aware of that. However, this did not numb the ache his leaving had left on her heart. She was so lonely without him, lonelier than she could ever recall feeling before, without his touch, without his support, without his love. Rikki had become the only person who could relieve that pain.

Cleo squeals playfully as her best friend bites down firmly on her lower lip. Rikki releases a low, alluring laugh and pulls her closer, so that their breasts embrace. Slowly and cautiously, the blonde moves the hand snaked around Cleo's waist gently to her rear end, currently covered in an array of shimmering gills. The girls taste each other's smile as they go to kiss once more.

"I love you." Rikki breathes, fatigued from the intensity of that last kiss.

And that, not the fondling of the backside or the nibbling of her lips, is what stopped Cleo Sertori cold in her tracks.

"Rikki…" She begins, untangling herself from the embrace.

"What?" Rikki demands, crimson anger rushing to her cheeks "Tell me you don't feel the same!"

"It's not _that_." Cleo says softly "But I'm with _Lewis_. You know that."

"So what is this to you, just some sort of experiment? Just an easy way for you to get rid of your sexual frustration whilst science boy's away?" She rages, turning her back on the once so perfect scene and hoisting her hefty tail out of the pool. Cleo swims up to the bank, rests her chin on it, and sighs heavily.

"You know you mean more to me that, Rikki."

Rikki looks up. She is now drying her tail on the pool bank, her sodden hair curtaining her face, hiding the features that Cleo had come to know, and secretly adore, so well. She did not need to see her lover to know the drooping expression spread upon her rosebud mouth, the anger masking the ache flaming in her bright blue eyes.

"Sometimes, I feel like I don't know you at all anymore, Cleo." She sighs.

Tears suddenly spring to Cleo's eyes, surprising her. Rikki was right. At first, their romance was supposed to be nothing more than a casual thing, a way to lessen the loneliness that Lewis's absence had triggered. But over the last few weeks…it had become so much more than that. So much more…_real_. Nowadays, Cleo could not imagine her life without the promise of Rikki's lips, without the reassurance of her embrace. The line between friendship and love had become completely erased, and she was almost certain that it could not be revived.

"I'm sorry." Cleo choked, and she was. She had not meant to get in this deep. She had not meant to fall for Rikki, for her mischievous grin and carefree attitude, for her lucid tongue and her promising gaze. On the night that Rikki had first planted a kiss upon her lips, all those months ago, never had Cleo expected things to pan out this way. The kiss was fun, sure, but wasn't all kissing supposed to be fun? It took someone special for it to anything more than that. And, although Ricky was an amazing kisser, perhaps even better than Lewis, Cleo could never accept Rikki in that way. She was not gay. She was your typical, girl next door, straight girl, who spent her days obsessing over pretty dresses and animals and boys. This wasn't how things were supposed to go for her.

"I know you are." Grumbles Rikki, now returned to her human form "That's the sad thing. I can't even be mad at you."

"I'm sorry…" Cleo repeats awkwardly, unsure of how to respond.

Rikki forces a laugh. "Enough with the sorries, missy! We should get back to the boat, though, it's getting late."

"Since when have you been the sensible one?!" Cleo giggles, relieved at the change in conversation.

"Since I got screamed at by my bitch of a uni professor for turning up to class half hour late yesterday!"

Cleo laughs. "Our little meetings tire you out, do they?" She says suggestively, beginning to climb back out on to the bank. "Need a lot of sleep afterwards?"

"At least twelve hours!" Rikki replies sarcastically, approaching Cleo's tail with her outstretched hands. Within minutes, the moisture has been steamed away, and legs replace Cleo's tail.

"All done." Rikki announces.

"Thanks." Cleo whispers seductively, her lips beginning to travel home. Rikki pulls back awkwardly.

"What?" Cleo questions, obviously offended. "Do I have bad breath all of a sudden?"

"No, but I can't do this anymore, Cleo."

"What do mean?"

"I can't…can't" She starts, becoming aggravated, searching aimlessly for the right words. Instead, she once again turns away from Cleo, instead focusing intently on the wall of the cave that encloses them, combing her hands through her hair.

"You can't what, Rikki?" Cleo replies aprehensivley.

Rikki spins back round to face her. Once more they are just inches apart from one another, and when Rikki delivers the dreaded words that are to come, specs of her spit land on Cleo's cheek, like scattered water freckles.

"I can't do _this_." She shouts in response, waving her hands around wildly, indicating their situation.

Cleo takes fearfully takes a step backwards, a look of horror on her face. Everyone who knew Rikki knew full well she was more than a little hot headed, but in that moment, Cleo felt genuinely afraid of her. Never before had she seen such rage, such fury, in Rikki. Never before had she felt so frightened of someone she considered a friend.

"I'm sorry." Rikki finally says, calamity leaking back in to her tone. "I shouldn't have lost my temper but…"

"Yeah, you're right. You shouldn't have." Snaps Cleo. And then, as if Rikki's rage had been transferred onto her, she takes the face of her hand and her Hydrokinesis** to drench Rikki in pool water, immediately transforming her to mermaid state. Outraged, Rikki flaps around helplessly on the pool bank, knowing full well using her powers to get vengeance on Cleo would be cruel at best. Frustrated, she settles at throwing her a disgusted glare, right before Cleo turns away, leaving her there, abandoned. **


End file.
